Column: Could Chicago use Seattle’s ideas to keep more green spaces and paths open, yet safe?

A sign showing a parking lot at Green Lake Park is closed due to the coronavirus outbreak on April 10, 2020, in Seattle. (Ted S. Warren / AP)

In recent days, new barricades have popped up as fast as dandelions around the lakefront parks where I often walk. And just as fast, certain runners and walkers have found a way to breach those barriers.

That blue Chicago P.D. sawhorse that says “DO NOT CROSS”? A mere suggestion. The slatted wooden fence? Not so hard to squeeze past or knock down. The netted fence? A pain in the butt, but all obstacles can be overcome by a person desperate to exercise.

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I say this not as someone who defies the barricades or endorses that defiance, but as a witness to this behavior and a realist who wonders if it isn’t time for a different approach to outdoor exercise.

I say “wonders” because I’m no expert on the best ways to fight this crazily contagious coronavirus. Few of us are. I’m glad to have a mayor who listens to the experts, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot did the right thing at the end of March when she closed Chicago’s lakefront and The 606 trail. Her move sent the message that this virus is serious, that congregating can be deadly, that we need to stay home.

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At the same time, it’s remained OK to go outside for exercise and so legions of us have, a liberty that is creating new problems.

When Lightfoot closed the lakefront, the adjacent parks were officially closed too, but in reality they remained open, at least on long stretches of the North Side where I take walks. Lately that has changed.

As the weather has gotten warmer, the parks have grown more congested, and as congestion grows, more barricades have appeared. Some went up just this week.

Theoretically they’re there to keep all the walkers, runners and cyclists from getting too close to each other. In practice, however, the exercisers get squeezed closer together on shrinking territory — except for those who defy the barriers.

As summer nears, Chicago is going to need a clearer way of dealing with exercisers. For some ideas, it’s worth looking at Seattle.

Seattle is different from Chicago in many ways, but it has been hit hard by the virus and it’s full of people who love to be outdoors. Like Chicago and so many other places, it’s juggling the best ways to keep people healthy.

On Easter weekend, as a precaution against big gatherings, Seattle closed its major parks. But last weekend, those parks reopened — with a new set of city guidelines.

At the heart of the guidelines are two words: Keep moving. No picnics, barbecues, group sports. No hanging out on park benches. To fortify the message, the city is posting hundreds of new signs, many of which say:

KEEP IT MOVING!

Walking, running, biking, and passing through.

Crowded parks lead to closed parks. Do your part!

At the city’s major parks, the parking lots are closed, a deterrent to travel and congregating. At two big parks with loop trails, the paths are now open only to pedestrians, meaning no bicycles. One path is now one-way only. Last weekend two streets were closed to cars, with more “Stay Healthy” streets to come.

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And in what may be the most notable feature of Seattle’s approach, the major parks now have social distancing ambassadors.

I know. So Seattle. So not Chicago. And yet.

The ambassadors aren’t police. They can’t enforce or arrest. What they can do is teach and remind.

“We really want to keep our parks open so folks have places to get outdoors,” an ambassador might say to people who are out and about. “We can only do that if people use the space safely.”

Or: “The last thing we want is to have our parks be the cause of more people getting sick. You may have the virus and never know it — but you can spread it to others.”

To people who aren’t complying, ambassadors might introduce themselves and offer a reminder of the 6-foot rule. Some of have decorated 6-foot poles to demonstrate.

They might remind people that there are other parks where it’s easier to keep a healthy distance. Or that coming earlier in the day may reduce crowds. That if you had to come by car, it’s too far.

In every city, dealing with the coronavirus is an act of improv in every realm. Decisions are made day by day, week by week. There’s no formula, no handbook.

Keeping the lakefront closed continues to make sense to me — the path is narrow, the beach is an invitation to party — but closing the adjacent parks? Maybe we should keep them open and follow Seattle’s lead with big, clear signs and a message of “Keep it Moving.”